


like real people do

by aquilaofarkham



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: As you do, Banter, First Kiss, M/M, One Shot, making out in an abandoned church
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 08:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16930152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquilaofarkham/pseuds/aquilaofarkham
Summary: “Took you long enough,” he says after their lips part.“… I’m sorry?”“You’ve finally accepted the fact that I’m irresistible.”Not the reaction Alucard was expecting, but it’s enough to convince him. To hell with it. He kisses Trevor a third time, long and hard. Finally, a good way to keep him quiet for a bit.





	like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> i might have gotten the title for this from one hozier song but it was actually inspired by a different track called "NFWMB but from an abandoned church in the woods"

The woods surrounding the Belmont grounds are ancient. Their roots dig deep into the earth, stretching out far beyond the ruins. They’ve been here long before the bloodline of hunters laid its foundations and will remain long after the Belmont descendants have run their course. Trevor loves his family’s forest. He loves nature in general. It’s harsh, unpredictable, and will swallow a person whole if they’re not careful. Nature is also protective; Trevor is eternally grateful for all the strong oak trees which offered him shelter during his years as a wanderer. He admires nature’s purity and how it provided a growing hunter with endless hours of make believe.

“I must admit, I’ve never thought of you as the ‘enjoys getting lost in the woods’ type of person. I always thought sharp, pointy objects and vampire skulls were the only things that excited you.” They’ve been walking for quite some time now, and Alucard hasn’t grown tired of their bantering. How else are they meant to keep each other entertained? A jaunty song?

“Well, you need the fresh air more than I do.” Trevor is of course referring to the amount of time Alucard spends cooped up within the castle studying the knowledge left behind by both the Belmonts and Tepes family. If he’s not in the laboratory, then he’s down in the archives from sun up to sundown, sometimes even longer. “This is why you’re so pale.” Trevor says, stepping over a rotting log.

“Fuck you,” Alucard laughs. “I make sure to get plenty of sun and fresh air, thank you very much.” They come across a small patch of mud and swampy grass, easily crossable thanks to a few dry rocks jutting out of the ground. Trevor goes first then offers his hand to Alucard. He briefly stares, cocks an eyebrow, before reaching over to grab it. “And I can cross over muddy landscapes on my own.”

“Then why did you take my hand?”

Upon joining him, the dhampir grins. “Everyone enjoys getting spoiled.” Trevor gives him a smile in return; he can’t argue with that.

They continue onwards, side by side and weaponless. An incredibly unusual feeling; Trevor feels naked without his whip or sword. Alucard feels the same. But while unexpected, it is oddly freeing. Liberating in a way. They’ll be fine, these woods are safe. They’ve made sure of that.

The two make conversation that straddles the line between small talk and deeper yet subtle queries of things that might have otherwise gone unspoken. “I take it you’re used to getting spoiled.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Big castle? Fancy clothes? Everything a growing half-vampire could ever want in their life?”

“Yes, I had a good childhood, despite how strange you think it was. How much do you remember from your own?”

A simple question – one Trevor is always unprepared for. It doesn’t matter who asks, whether it be Sypha or Alucard. He could lie. Say there’s not much he can recall from those early years. Just his old tree and the weapons that were dropped at his feet the same time as when he learned to walk. But Trevor does remember, even more so now that he’s returned home. He remembers his father Gabriel’s boisterous laugh and the battle scars gracing his mother Sonia’s face. How they tucked him into bed with a dagger under his pillow and a fully-grown wolfhound sleeping at the foot of his bed. Trevor remembers it all.

“Are you going to tease me about it?”

“I might. Fair’s fair after all. But spending more time in your archives has made me genuinely curious.”

“Again, that worries me more than it should.”

“My curiosity or my time in the archives?”

“Both,” Trevor immediately states. Still, he gives into Alucard’s pestering. “I remember a lot, actually. Running down the corridors, stealing pastries from under the cook’s nose, the books in our above ground library.”

“Which you couldn’t read.”

There’s the first jab; Trevor decides to take it in stride. “I was allowed to take some of them off the shelves, especially the Bestiary. How else was I gonna know what I’d be up against?”

He hears a snicker coming from Alucard. “I was being literal. Books you couldn’t read at all _._ ” Second jab, but Trevor has an easy rebuttal.

“Of course I know how to read. Just not magic or the sort of books you grew up with.”

“Shame.”

“That’s what happens when your education is cut short at twelve years.” Trevor feels his mood drop after saying that. The jokes he made and still occasionally makes at his own expense, his own tragedies, used to bring him some validation. A sense of control he desperately needed. His life was shit. What happened to him and his family was shit; he made no effort to hide those facts. Humour, dark as it was, had been the only coping strategy presented to him – that and a certain strong liquid. But he’s well aware that nothing lasts forever. Even the longest lasting strategies wear thin eventually.

There’s not much he can do about this unpleasantness growing in the pit of his stomach; not much except finish answering Alucard’s question. Find some distraction. “I also remember these woods. When I finished exploring every inch of the manor and got bored, I came out here. All throughout the year, even in the dead of winter. I discovered hidden caves, annoyed small animals, climbed every tree I came across… broke a few bones in the process…”

“Like that one down the road?”

Trevor told that story only to Sypha while Alucard sulked at the back of their wagon, either not listening or not caring – so he thought. “You overheard that?”

“It was cute how you started talking to that tree. It must have been your only and last friend for some time.” 

Trevor lets out a defeated huff. “Had enough fun teasing me yet?”

“I wasn’t teasing.” At the sound of Alucard’s change in tone, they stop in the middle of an overgrown path. The dhampir doesn’t seem outwardly sad, yet certainly far more pensive. “It just… it caused me to think about my own childhood.”

The only sound that can be heard between the two men are birds chirping and distant river water running. Trevor can’t find it within himself to make a quick, witty reply. Perhaps it’s best he doesn’t. “You didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, did you?” No answer; Trevor takes the silence as a yes. “Because you were homeschooled.”

“Not necessarily, though it certainly helped. My mother… and my father come to think of it, were very protective. One taught me to love the human world but still be wary of it, the other taught me to avoid it outright. Those early years were… confusing.” Alucard says that last word with the hint of a chuckle.

“So, when did the people start calling you Alucard?”

“Years after the rumours of Dracula spawning a son spread. When I discovered the meaning behind the name, I was surprised. The opposite of Wallachia’s oldest evil… my parents hated it of course. But it did give me hope that the outside world wouldn’t reject me. Or chase me around with stakes and whips.” Trevor side glances at him as if to say with his eyes ‘I heard that’.

“I’ll be honest, when you first introduced yourself as Alucard, I thought you were making that up.”

“Trevor…” He says, the annoyance in his voice growing.

“Come on. The opposite of Dracula literally being the opposite of Dracula.”

“Good, you were clever enough to realize that simple observation. I hope all your future children name themselves Rovert.”

Trevor has no quick reply now due to him laughing so much and too hard to form coherent words. Alucard does the same, beginning with a giggle before increasing in volume. It’s absolutely possible for the dhampir to laugh, yet it always catches Trevor off guard. He wants to tell him that he should laugh more often. It looks good on him, as most things do. Instead, he watches as Alucard maintains a smile on his lips while his eyes revert back to their sadness.

“Silly of me to think my childhood was so lonely. You must still think I’m spoiled.”

“At least we were both lonely little bastards.”

“Still think we are?”

“Course not. Not anymore. I wouldn’t call this lonely.” Trevor makes a small twirling motion with his finger. The dhampir gives him a perplexed look, something the hunter has seen many times before.

“And what would _this_ be?” He raises his hand and recreates the same action in a mocking fashion.

“Where we are right now.”

Yes, getting lost in the woods with one’s only company being a vampire hunter, once a sad, wandering, unlucky drunk but now a worthy member of his family name. Then waiting back home for them, a force of nature in human form who took control and subdued an ancient eldritch structure, bending it to her will. Not lonely in the least. Alucard wouldn’t have it any other way.

Just as Trevor opens his mouth to further explain himself, something in the distance catches his eye. He walks ahead, gazing deeper into the woods. “Strange…”

“What is?”

“I don’t remember that being there.” Alucard catches up and looks to where Trevor is pointing. His guard goes up when he sees a large immobile figure hidden amongst the trees. Though his suspicion is only momentary. “Looks to be some sort of building.” He turns, but Trevor has already diverged from the path without him. Confident that there’s nothing to fear, Alucard follows. It must have been someone’s home now abandoned for nature to reclaim it.

Nearer the two of them walk, noticing old stone and shattered stained-glass peering out through the branches and leaves. As the structure reveals itself in full view, they stare up in surprise. “Now this I definitely don’t remember,” Trevor mutters to himself as they begin circling around. The building itself, decrepit with a caved in roof, dwarfs them in height and length. Vines creep up along its stone walls while healthy green foliage has overtaken each arched doorway. Alucard focuses on one window’s jagged edges and sees the broken remnants of a holy figure created from blue, gold, and white glass. Half of its serene face is missing, as are its wings and heavenly halo. No one has visited this sanctuary in a very, very long time.

“Must have been a church.” He continues to stare upwards, lost in the grandeur of these ruins. How did such a structure find itself in a place like this? “Your family didn’t build this, did they?”

Trevor raises his eyebrows. “An excommunicated Jewish family who hates churches wouldn’t have much use for one all the way out here.”

“Perhaps it was here long before. You did mention how the Belmonts were chas-“ Alucard catches himself and changes his train of thought, but only for the sake of well-intentioned humour. “Sorry… _moved_ out of their country of origin before settling in Wallachia.”

“I did mention that.” Trevor walks closer and begins tearing down a tangled mess of vines that obscure one of the entrances. He pauses, glancing over his shoulder, and sighs. “If you’d rather wait out here, all you have to do is say so.”

“You’re going inside?”

“Why not?” Another bundle gets ripped from the archway, falling to pieces by the hunter’s feet.

“And you’re certain you won’t burst into flames upon entry?”

Just as he’s about to go forward, Trevor shoots him a half-smirk. “Don’t worry about me. What about yourself?”

“Not once has my body ever gone up in hellfire after stepping inside any sort of cathedral. So no, I’m not worried about myself.”

“Good thing to know.”

They saunter through the empty doorway, now cleared and easily passable. What awaits them inside is more ruination coupled with old splendour. The walls encompass them like an open box while a canopy of trees act as their shelter. With each step they take down the centre aisle together, their boots dig into the soft ground, which has long since replaced the very foundation of this building. Ahead of them, erected high above the altar are three stained-glass windows damaged beyond salvaging. Even still, their colours shine in the sunlight, illuminated along what’s left of the wooden floorboards.

Alucard is the first to make his way up the altar steps. His movements are slow as every time he puts his foot down, the wood creaks and strains against the unexpected weight. But it seems strong enough. Trevor is a little less cautious; his focus is on someone else. He watches as the sun shines down on Alucard and realizes how different he looks in daylight. Gone is the sulking, the brooding, and the sardonic expressions. Now there’s only peace.

“You’re…” Trevor barely gets past the first syllable before closing his mouth. Already he feels the hot sting of embarrassment rush across his cheeks.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t nothing.”

“Then it was stupid.”

“As if that’s ever stopped you from talking before.”

“You’ll just tell Sypha.”

“Of course I will.”

“Enjoying this aren’t you?” Trevor makes sure to add a small ‘prick’ under his breath.

“Oh absolute-“ One step, that’s all it takes for the stressed wood to finally give out. With a sudden _CRACK_ and a brief spray of splinters, Alucard’s calves drop into the altar. He doesn’t cry out, but his eyes do go wider than they’ve ever been before as he trips over himself. All that smug nature vanished in a single fleeting moment. Despite knowing that he’ll be alright, Trevor rushes to his side in order to be certain. His initial concern doesn’t last long. Within seconds, Alucard hears the first few snorts of amusement.

“What?” He growls, trying to remove his feet from out of the hole. All it manages to do is fuel Trevor’s laughing fit. “You find this hilarious?”

Trevor gasps for some air before replying. “You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

“Hide what?”

“I now know that underneath everything, this whole tragic prince façade, you’re just as much of a mess as I am.”

Now it’s the dhampir’s turn to feel humiliated. Thank god Sypha isn’t here, else he’d wither and shrivel up like a flower in winter. He should tug at Trevor’s ear or cheek for saying that, anything to make him stop laughing.

Alucard does something different. Grabbing the back of his head, along with a good amount of hair bunched up in his hand, he holds the hunter still before placing his mouth on his. It ends just as fast as it happened, too fast to be considered a real kiss. Both men know this as they stare at each other in disbelief. Alucard feels the worst. Out of everything he’s said and done to Trevor, things that should have gone better had he taken a moment to better think them through, this might be the most impulsive above all the rest. Should he have at least given him a warning? Was it just to shut him up? Or has he been waiting for the right opportunity and never wanted to admit it?

Before he can explain himself, Trevor responds in an equally impulsive manner. “Took you long enough,” he says after their lips part.

“… I’m sorry?”

“You’ve finally accepted the fact that I’m irresistible.”

Not the reaction Alucard was expecting, but it’s enough to convince him. To hell with it. He kisses Trevor a third time, long and hard. Finally, a good way to keep him quiet for a bit. He gives him another one, then another, pausing only to take heavy breaths. His hands to roam and grope whatever they can find. Arms, back, hips, anything that helps press Trevor’s body closer to his own. This could have been a short minute of subdued intimacy, but the hunter’s mouth is warm and soft. Softer than he ever expected.

When the two eventually come back to their senses, they remain sitting on the altar tangled in each other’s arms, red faced and huffing with half-lidded eyes. Drunk on recklessness. “Should we see where this takes us?” Trevor asks, resting his palm on Alucard’s cheek. The dhampir keeps his gaze down before closing his eyes again. He pushes his face against Trevor’s calloused hand and leaves smaller, lighter kisses on his fingers.

“Wouldn’t that be interesting.” Alucard has his own way of saying yes.


End file.
